Chipmunk's Solo AT Thru Hike Update Day 108 Appalachian Trail, Pennsylvania Miles Hiked to Date: 1095 Hiked yesterday: 8 Trail Miles, Miles to Katahdin: 1088 First, thanks to Doreen H. for your generous donation. I, too, am a Ukester! He’s a wonderful man and a whole lot of fun to have on the trail. Chipmunk and I are having a blast with him! Second, to Dee and Aunt Carol … can’t wait to see you both soon.

Chipmunk got an early start, knowing that there was quite a lot “on her plate” for the day ahead. We had called ahead to Pine Grove Furnace State Park to check about a WIFI connection so that Chipmunk could give a follow up interview with the TV news station in Southern Virginia. They were glad to accommodate and asked if Chipmunk would be willing to stop in and see some of their special guests.

Chipmunk sent me this pic, letting me know that she had officially reached the mileage midpoint of the Appalachian Trail. She said that Uke was kind enough to snap the pic for her and that he, too, was heading into Pine Grove Furnace General Store for the Hikers’ Half Gallon Challenge. I told her I’d meet her there or the AT Museum by 12 noon. She surprised me by arriving at 11:15 AM! Also, friends we made during our 2011 family bike ride, Jen, Brittney and Drake, drove into town to meet up with us and watch the ice cream eating challenge.

Chipmunk and her fellow hikers were sweating but looked good for having hiked there in the 95 degree heat. We all walked up to the Ironmasters Mansion Hostel where Chipmunk was invited to address a youth leadership camp by Stoddard Institute. The 13-15 year old campers were studying, amongst other things, environmental awareness and protection. Anna Y. and Chip M. asked Chipmunk to talk about her hike on the A.T. and then she answered several questions that the campers posed. I was impressed by how well she spoke. (Of course, I’m her mom … I’m also impressed that she’s willing to do her business behind a bush in the woods.) She had fun telling them about “Hell Day” when she crossed Blood Mountain in freezing rain, changed her wet outer clothes and warmed up in the Outfitter’s store. She told them she was confused when her dry clothes became wet again, after her underwear thawed. They all laughed about that. Her fellow hikers, Uke, Gilgamesh and Sly Fox all shared their experiences, too and “busted” on Chipmunk like brothers and sisters do. It was all fun to watch.

After leaving the campers, Chipmunk and her fellow hikers walked the short distance to the Pine Grove Furnace General Store where they all bought a half-gallon of their favorite ice cream and took their spots around a table on the porch.

Their challenge was captured on film by TV News Station WGAL (www.wgal.com), who came out to interview Chipmunk while she attempted to down her ice cream. We seldom have access to TV news so we haven’t seen the edited footage yet. If anyone finds it online, please forward me a link so I can share it with all the other Chipsters (and Ukesters, too).

As much as Chipmunk tried, she could not finish the ½ gallon of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream. However, Gilgamesh floored us by polishing off his Black Cherry Ice Cream in 10 minutes flat!! Uke came in second finishing off his Neapolitan ice cream well under the 30 minute line. Sly Fox managed to finish her Cookies ‘n Crème Ice Cream, taking the 3rd place position.

There had been some private wagers made amongst the hikers which led to Uke, the 2nd place winner, giving Gilgamesh a Snickers bag and Sly Fox, the 3rd place finisher, giving Gilgamesh and Uke each a Honey Bun, a favorite treat amongst hikers. Chipmunk laid on the bench while the others high fived one another.

Our friend, Jen A.W. made a special spoon just for Chipmunk that read, “I really tried” and then she gave her a big kiss on the cheek. It was so good to see her and her children and to see how much our kids have grown and changed in the two years since we all had seen each other. After the challenge, we headed back to the hostel to await the pre-arranged Skype interview (with the Southern VA TV Station) but apparently there was a miscommunication and we ended up sitting around waiting … for nothing. The TV news station apologized and asked if Chipmunk would do an interview the following morning. Chipmunk told me she’d rather hike and I didn’t want to waste any more time either. So, we found the campsite that Jason of the PA State Parks gave us for the night (thanks again!) and then we joined Brittney, Jen and Drake at the beach. They were just leaving to find us.

Jen announced that she wanted to take us out to dinner and we all piled into our vehicles and headed to a nearby restaurant. Unfortunately, the air conditioning was barely working there but it was still nice to have a meal out together. We all talked and laughed and had a really good time. Jen paid for Chipmunk’s and my meal and also Uke’s, whom I think she enjoyed getting to know. Thanks, Jen! All the hikers enjoyed hanging with you and Chipmunk and I were so glad to see your family.

When we returned to the campground, we all fell into our sleeping spots and were asleep pretty quickly. The heat and humidity had drained us. I fell asleep easily and I think Chipmunk did, too. It may be a while before she orders ice cream again.

If you enjoy reading the story of our adventure, and you’d like to send some “Trail Magic” to Chipmunk, click on the “Donate” button at the upper right corner of today’s blog post. Chipmunk maintains a twitter account: @openlymtngoat where a common hashtag is #GoChipmunk . She (or we) will try to answer any questions you may have about her hike and this family adventure. Thanks again for all your support, Mama Chip, Papa Chip, Chipmunk and her dog, Chocolate Chip (Tammy, Jay, Neva and Coco)